7 The Healing Begins
by cyncay
Summary: Treville and Dianthe visit the mystery patient and help as best they can to start her on the way to recovery.


As Treville and I followed the young novitiate to the Mother Superior's office, I couldn't help but trail my fingers across the walls. So many memories were stored within them. I sighed, thinking it was probably for the best that the nuns I had known were no longer here. I took that thought back moments later when we met the Mother Superior. Though many years had passed, I recognized her. I only hoped she didn't remember me. We took seats in front of her desk.

"Your message said you require my help with a young lady you are caring for." Treville stated.

"Yes. She came to us just after the war, completely unresponsive. We had no idea who to contact until the date on the letter I sent you. That day, she screamed the name Athos, then fell silent once more."

Treville and I exchanged a look, then he asked if she could recall the approximate time of the scream. When she told us, I couldn't contain my surprise. the scream had occurred at the time of the fight between Athos and Grimaud in St. Antoine. Treville asked to be taken immediately to see the girl.

As we approached the room, he whispered, "Dianthe, can it be possible? After all this time?"

"I have seen stranger things happen."

He touched his chest with a small smile."As have I."

In the girl's room, she lay flat on her back in the small bed, wearing just a simple white shift. I sat next to her and ran a hand through the hair that was growing out. It was thick, and from her coloring, must have been a dark color once, but was now white. I could feel numerous bumps from healed wounds all over her head.

She had several faint scars on her face as well, but I couldn't tell what had made them. However, there was one jagged scar along one cheek that had been done with a barely sharp object and improperly healed. It marred her prettiness.

"Treville, would you mind giving us a little privacy so I can check her fully?" I asked.

"Of course."

He started to leave as the Nun spoke up. "She has given birth at least once."

He whipped around to look at me, his face terrified at the thought of what that might imply.

"Yes," I answered calmly, knowing I would be in for a barrage later. "The child is safe."

Sure enough, the look on his face turned from terror to fury, but he left the room. We had sworn no secrets between us, but the child was not my secret to keep.

Once it was just us women, I lifted her shift. Again, more scars of different types, including many like the faint ones on her face. There were also burns, cuts and who knew what else.

She had been through horrific and prolonged pain. I pulled her shift down and called Treville back in. I looked at her hands and feet next. These also showed signs of horrible torture, including breaking the bones and dislocating the fingers in addition to the other things.

This time, I asked the Mother Superior to leave Treville and me alone with the girl. She agreed and told us to take as much time as we needed. She asked only that we stop at her office again before we left. She then gave us a smile and walked out.

Once she was gone, I reached into my bag and began pulling out my things. Treville watched me quietly as I proceeded to do what I could to erase the scars and heal the bones. When I was finished, most of them were gone. The one on her cheek remained, however.

"Why weren't you able to do anything to that one?" Treville asked.

"She did that one to herself for some reason. I cannot remove it without her permission." I told him. "Now, if you are willing to help me for this next part, we can see if we can start her mind back to us."

"Me?"

"Yes. You are a part of her past. She considers you family, so you are someone she can connect to, and hopefully help her find the right path."

He agreed and I pulled out what I needed and arranged everything. I told him what to do and we started. I kept Treville on the very fringe of the worst as we went back through the last several years, not wanting him to see what she had been put through. What he did see would be bad enough for him to blame himself, I knew.

Most of the the years were just blank, from where she had shut down to avoid whatever they wanted from her. No memories, no thoughts, nothing. That's where she was still living, not believing that she was free from whoever had held her. She was afraid this was just another trick.

Slowly, I reminded her of things she and I had done together, walks we had gone on looking for herbs and plants. I told her about a small village we had stopped at one time and the awful food at the inn that had made us both sick all the way home.

I had Treville do the same thing, without mentioning the Musketeers. He told her some of their early adventures and the training they used to do. When I saw cracks appear in the black, I told him to stop and we retreated.

I put my things away and we made our way back to the Mother Superior. As we walked, Treville asked, "Why didn't we continue?"

"She needs to come back on her own, if she's going to come back at all. We can't force her. And she has to choose what she does if she does come back. We got her started. Now,we wait."

In the office, we sat down to talk to the Mother Superior again. She didn't even try to hide that she knew who I was or what we had been doing. "Were you able to help her at all, Diana?"

"Dianthe now. I wasn't sure if you'd remember. It's been awhile."

"Yes, and you have hardly changed. While I have gone from novitiate to Mother Superior. The whispers about you were close to true, then?"

"Maybe someday I'll tell you the truth. But, yes, I was able to do something for the scars and broken bones. And hopefully, we started her mind on the way to healing as well."

"And if she does heal enough to actually wake up?"

"Contact me again. Immediately." Treville told her.

After that, we said our farewells to the convent and headed back to Paris.

"So,"Treville drawled. "you spent time in the convent? That's one story you haven't told me yet."


End file.
